Australian media call for selectors' heads

Australian media called for the country's cricket chiefs to resign and urged wholesale reform of the game after a woeful showing which saw England retain the Ashes in the fourth Test. Ricky Ponting's side crashed to a humiliating innings and 157-run defeat in Melbourne on Thursday, allowing holders England to retain the Ashes in Australia for the first time in more than 20 years."You're all fired!" declared the front page of Sydney's Daily Telegraph tabloid, featuring shots of Ponting, vice-captain...

Australian cricketers fall from gods to bedraggled larrikins

Andrew Strauss takes his England cricket team from Melbourne to Sydney for the final, celebratory chapter of their enthralling Ashes campaign assured but not smug in the assumption that opponents...

Sohail Tanvir to Join Pak Squad in New Zealand

Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to send all rounder Sohail Tanvir to join the Pakistan Squad in New Zealand. Tanvir had initially been selected for the National Squads for T20 and Test matches against New Zealand for the ongoing series however he could not get fitness clearance for the T20matches.According to Sohail Tanvir, he had no pain, discomfort anywhere in the body. However he was having stiffness in his lower back and legs during the last concluded camp for which he was treated appropriately....

Eden Park views vary

Eden Park's changed configuration for cricket has resulted in a different dynamic for bowlers, and for captains in field settings. New Zealand captain in Boxing Day's Twenty20 match, won by his side by five wickets over Pakistan, Ross Taylor said the boundaries were much bigger square of the wicket and they rated with some of the bigger grounds in world cricket in those areas.'If we erred we erred on the shorter side and we hoped if they were going to hit sixes they were going to hit them over the...

South Africa bowls first in second Test

South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first in the second test against India on Sunday on a pitch expected to suit fast bowlers early on. Proteas captain Graeme Smith opted to give his pace attack first use of a green wicket at Kingsmead, which has lots of grass cover after rain during the week leading up to the match. The pitch is expected to be fast and bouncy in overcast conditions on the first day in Durban.South Africa retained the same team that won the first match of the three—test...

World Cup 2011: Impotent Pakistan bowling attack

Imran Khan is one man whose views on cricket fans all across the globe are regarded very highly. He was recently asked about Pakistan’s chances in the upcoming world cup. He said Pakistan’s chances...

The Year in Review: Cricket

How weirdly appropriate that judgment on Mohammad Aamer and his Pakistan team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif will be passed in Doha in January. The agony of the teenager was, after all, played...

ICC rejects Butt's application for delay in hearing

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected suspended Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt's application to delay the hearing into the spot-fixing allegations against him and two other cricketers from his country.Thus, the hearing will take place as scheduled from January 6-11 in Doha. Butt along with pace duo of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were suspended by the ICC when allegation of spot-fixing surfaced against them during the Lord's Test against England in September. Michael Beloff,...

Sachin five short of Indian record!

Sachin Tendulkar has the world eating out of his hands after recording his 50th Test century. By next year, he will surely achieve another monumental feat by completing a century of centuries in international cricket. (He has 46 in ODIs right now). In that journey, he will have the fervent support of his followers who will be hoping for a three-figure score everytime he takes guard in a Test or One-dayers. Statisticians and the hard-to-please critics will point out to one peak that is yet to be...

Sachin still remains an ambassador of cricket

Sachin Tendulkar made his Test debut at 16 and played 20 of his first 21 Tests on foreign soil. If his 50 Test hundreds lends a new dimension to his stature as a grown-up, the above piece of information gives an idea why he was referred to as a Boy Wonder.Sachin averaged 38 in those 21 Tests with four hundreds and five half-centuries. And the tours included Pakistan, New Zealand, England, Australia and South Africa. If there ever was a single statistic indicating a players promise, it was this.What...

Cricket: Pakistan 'here to play clean'

Pakistan are looking forward on their New Zealand tour; it's eyes front, no glancing over their shoulders. Manager Intikhab Alam and coach Waqar Younis stressed the desire to play strong, competitive cricket on their tour, which includes three T20s, two tests and six ODIs. But hovering like a dark cloud in the corner of the press conference room yesterday was the spectre of spot fixing, allegations against several Pakistani players in the last few months which has thrown a harsh light on...

New Zealand Cricket begins review of India debacle

The Test and ODI thrashing at the hands of India has prompted New Zealand Cricket to start a review of the team’s performance but the body has ruled out sacking captain Daniel Vettori. NZC chief executive...

Malik, Kamran denied permission to play in Bangladesh

Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and former captain Shoaib Malik have been denied permission by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to play league cricket in Bangladesh. Following their exclusion from...

Cricket in Pakistan is in a 'mess', so is the country: Imran Khan

Pakistan cricket is facing its biggest crisis so far, and the team stands little chance of winning the 2011 World Cup without fast bowlers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif, former captain Imran Khan has said. "Cricket in Pakistan faces its biggest crisis and so does the country," the Daily Times quoted Imran, who was in New Delhi to promote the World Cup, as saying to reporters."Sadly, the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board is the president (of the country) and the less I say of him, the better,"...

Pakistan women’s cricket team honoured

The Pakistan women’s cricket team, who won a gold medal at the recently concluded 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China were given a vibrant reception by the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club here on...

I don’t want the team to mess up this time: Afridi

Pakistan’s ODI skipper Shahid Afridi endorsed former captain Wasim Akram’s views that the PCB must announce the World Cup squad or at least make a short-list of players as soon as possible. “We need to start working soon with the bunch of players who make the World Cup, as it is a very important tournament and I don’t want the team to mess up this time,” Afridi said. Pakistan were eliminated in the first round of the last two World Cups, in 2003 and 2007. In a bid to overcome his recent run...

Cricket-What Australian media are saying about the Ashes

Rain may disrupt play but Australia still need 137 runs to make England bat again with their last two recognised batsmen, Michael Hussey and Marcus North, already at the crease. Here is a sample of the Australian media's reaction to the state of play. "Supporters are not sanguine. It's been a long time since as many of them spent as much time scanning the heavens or examining meteorology reports online. Better than anything else, that summed up the state of play. Australia is down and almost...

Pakistan want China to host cricket matches on its behalf as neutral site

Next time India chooses to wield the willow at Pakistan, it may be called upon to play on Chinese soil. At least, this is what the Pakistan Cricket Board wants to happen, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Friday within days of China hosting a cricket match at the Guangzhou Asian Games. Javed Miandad , former Pakistan captain, has presented a written report to the PCB suggesting China be made a "neutral venue" for international cricket matches . The idea is to counter moves by some...

Pakistan unhappy with cricket's FTP

Pakistan's cricket chiefs are unhappy with the International Cricket Council's Future Tours Programme (FTP) because their team hasn't been given enough matches against top sides like India, Australia and England. According to reports, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed its concerns after coming to know that its team will mostly be playing against lower-ranked teams in the next FTP. The PCB believes that Pakistan is regarded among the major Test-playing nations and should get a fair...